Ebola outbreak: Risk to Britain remains 'very low'

Health chiefs have said the Ebola risk to the UK remains 'very low' amid reports that a Briton who tested positive for the virus in Sierra Leone was being flown to Britain.

Some Sunday papers report government sources saying the person, who has not been named, was being assessed for possible transfer to the UK.

Isolation units have been set up at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.

More than 1,400 people have died from the virus in west Africa since March.

Prof John Watson, deputy chief medical officer for England, said: 'The overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low.

'Medical experts are currently assessing the situation in Sierra Leone to ensure that appropriate care is provided.

'We have robust, well-developed and well-tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases when they arise, supported by a wide range of experts.'

Consular assistance is being provided to the British national. No further details have been given about the Briton.

Travel advice

The Department of Health said the person was living in Sierra Leone, one the countries worst affected by the deadly virus.

The patient will have a higher chance of survival if treated in the UK because the clinics in Sierra Leone are overwhelmed as the outbreak continues to spread.

There is no cure for Ebola, although an experimental drug helped two Americans recover and three medical staff have also shown signs of improvement after taking it in Liberia.

Health workers say the body has a greater chance of fighting off the virus if the patient seeks help fast and the symptoms are treated.

In west Africa many people have been reluctant to hand over their relatives, partly because more often than not they never see them again. More than half of those who have caught Ebola have died.

Foreign Office advice, updated earlier this week, urged people to carefully assess their need to travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

British Airways suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone on 5 August until the end of the month.

The World Health Organisation has put the number of people infected with the virus at 2,615. A total of 1,427 have died since the disease was identified in Guinea in March and spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

Symptoms appear as a sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55% Incubation period is two to 21 days There is no vaccine or cure Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host